Erik Lange traded in his day job to play pro pickleball. His path to professional sports isn't your typical one. “I was a regional sales manager with HEAD Penn racquet sports. I was playing pickleball part-time,” Lange said. Lange is in his early 40s and gave up his full-time job to join the Carvana Pro Pickleball Association Tour earlier this year. The tour has more than two dozen events and $5.5 million in prize money up for grabs. He specializes in doubles and mixed doubles, and said he's one of the top 20 players on the tour. Lange spends some of his time practicing on a private court in Washington and has the support of his family. "My wife has been very supportive. She said, 'Hey, this is your passion and you want to chase your dreams, I'm here to support you.'" There are no pro pickleball association events in Oregon, so there is a lot of travel in involved. The next tournament runs July 12-16 in Denver, Colorado. Read the full story: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/pickleball-professional-player-west-linn-man/283-87c85bc3-8bbf-4f42-97ad-ca6edbc13ecd Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/KGWNews8 Watch the latest KGW newscast: https://www.kgw.com/watch Get the KGW app: https://kgw.com/appredirect